All I want for ChristmasPart 2 of the AngelSeries
by cornishpixie330
Summary: Mostly CA but also TL,PS,KD. Christmas, a year & a half after CA first get together. Most of the friends are in college now and are realizing that growing up is not always easy, but it does have its perks. Read Part 1! R & R please.
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: **

**Obviously, I suck at coming up with titles.**

**I started watching the Rugrats movies and a few episodes of AGU, so that might start to influence me a bit more.**

**The random character Jason in chapter 1 has no point except that he made me laugh. He probably won't show up again. **

**As for Changel (that was for you, Ani Thompson!), there's comparatively little of them in this part, because I was introducing the new couples. But part three will be long! And full of Chuck and Angie (lurrrve). And lots of drama and other good stuff. But that won't be up for a while (probably not until around the end of May) because I'm gonna be quite busy for a while. **

**I effing heart you, my lovely readers. Please continue to r & r! If you have advice or constructive criticism, feel free to let me know. My birthday is this weekend (March 30****th****) so it would be a pretty awesome gift to know that you guys enjoy this! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Rugrats or AGU characters. They belong to Klasky Csupo. I'm not making any money off of this. That's for sure. I'm a very poor college student.**

**Warnings: Some sexual references and innuendos (yum). A bit of foul language (Angelica, of course).**

**All I want for Christmas—Part 2 of the Angel Series**

**Prologue**

Well, let's see. Where did I leave off? Ah, yes. That night. People would say "Chuck's graduation night" or "May 2007" or something like that. It _was_ 2007, wasn't it? Yes…yes, I believe it was. But we don't think like people, you see. Sometimes dates and times escape us because, well, we just don't see their importance. Humans are obsessed with dates and times, when, if you think about it, they just don't matter. Why does it matter how many hours, or days, or weeks have passed since something happened? The important thing is that it _happened._ _What_ happened is more important than _when _it happened.

So we tend to think in terms of events rather than in humans' (forgive me) limited concept of time. What does that calendar on your kitchen wall mean, really? It's just paper and ink. Human things. Not that I mean to make you feel small…but…there's just so much more out there than the things that people concern themselves with.

But, I'll humor you. This part of the story begins in…2008. Yes, December 2008. Angelica was really becoming a lovely young lady. She made me prouder with each passing day. Not to say that she was perfect…or even close to it. But she was learning, slowly but surely. Love had softened her heart, had made her more malleable, ready to be shaped into the person she would eventually become.

However, there would be setbacks along the way. I didn't like to see Angelica hurting, or to see her hurting others, but I knew that it was the only way she would learn. The only way she would complete The Change. Every person has his own journey, with his own trials and tribulations, joys and passions. And the journey is rarely easy. But, when you get there, it's always worth it.

Of course, Angelica's journey was just beginning.


	2. Chapter 1

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There's just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is...  
You._

**Two days before Christmas**

"I got you a present."

Kimi smiled, the phone pressed against her ear. "What is it?"

"I can't tell you. I'll give it to you on Christmas. Or whenever I see you again."

She pouted, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "No fair. You already gave Tommy his present."

"That's because that was a Hanukkah present. This is a _Christmas_ present. Duh."

She laughed. He always made her laugh. "Oh, alright. I guess I can wait."

"I miss hanging out with you." he said shyly.

"I miss hanging out with you, too." she said.

"Well, let's hang out."

She laughed. "I'd love to…but I just got home from my first semester away at college. I gotta spend some time with my family first…Mom is acting really weird, cooking a lot more than usual and Dad is cleaning even more than usual, if you can imagine that. I think it's some empty nest syndrome or something…speaking of college, have you decided what you're doing after graduation yet?"

"Um…I dunno. I'd like to study Xenoarchaeology."

"Uh, what's that?"

"The study of alien artifacts. It's like Archaeology, except for alien cultures."

"Righhtt…well, you might wanna get a back-up plan. Just in case."

"Hmm…maybe I'll just go to State, like everyone else. At least until I can figure out what I want to do. Or I might end up liking it there. Tommy and Chuck have an apartment together; maybe they'll let me move in with them."

Kimi liked the sound of that. She was just across town, at the Art Academy.

"When can you hang out?" he asked.

"Hmm…how about we do something tomorrow?"

"I—I gotta go." She heard a knock and a mumbled voice in the background.

"Oh…ok…later."

"Later, space alligator!"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Tommy looked at his younger brother quizzically. "Who was that?"

Dil put the phone back on the receiver. "Hey, Man. What's that?" Dil asked, grateful for a change of subject.

Tommy grinned and opened up the little box. He extracted a ring studded with cornflower blue sapphires and held it out to Dil.

"Oh, Tommy!" squeaked Dil in an exaggerated girl's voice, "I do! I do!"

"Ha ha. _Hilarious_…It's for Lil."

"I hope so. She'd probably be pretty pissed if it was for some other girl."

"It's her Christmas present. Do you think she'll like it?"

"Yeah," Dil said sincerely, smiling. "I think she'll love it."

"Tommy?" a voice called from the hallway.

"He's in here, Mom!"

"I'm in Dil's room, Mom!"

Didi Pickles opened the door, frowning at her sons. "There's no need to shout, boys. _Honestly_. I just wanted to let you know that Charles is here to see you." She stepped aside and Chuck walked into the room, grinning. Didi turned to leave, but Tommy stopped her.

"Mom, I need the advice of a _beautiful_, _wise_ woman."

She smiled. "Ok, here's my first bit of advice. Be careful with your adjectives. "Wise" implies age. Next time, stick with "intelligent". My second tip is to start with the sucking up earlier; I've already bought all your Hanukkah _and _Christmas presents, Dear."

He laughed and handed her the ring. "What do you think?"

"Oh, Tommy!" She turned the ring around in her hand. "Is that for Lil? Oh my, it's beautiful!"

Chuck whistled appreciatively. "That's nice, Man."

Didi handed the ring back to her oldest son and, looking suspiciously on the verge of tears, left the room, saying something vaguely about water boiling in the kitchen. They could hear her walking down the stairs, mumbling something like "growing up so fast."

Chuck turned back to his best friend. "She's gonna love it."

"I hope so…So, what did you get Angelica? Just out of curiosity?"

"Well…um…"

"Oh, come on! _Please_ don't tell me you haven't gotten her anything yet. It's two days till Christmas."

"No, no…I got her something."

"Oh, good. For you, anyway. 'Cause she would have _killed _you if you got her some crappy, last minute gift."

"Speaking of girlfriends, Dil, have you been seeing anyone since we all left you behind?" asked Chuck. Tommy had the distinct feeling that he was changing the subject, but, as he was just as curious about Dil, he let it slide.

"Oh…no, I wouldn't say that."

Tommy raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean, you 'wouldn't say that'? _Have_ you been seeing someone? A ha! You have!"

Dil jumped up from the bed. "I have to go—I have to—" He grasped a handful of the orange-red poof on top of his head. "I have to cut my hair! Yeah. See you guys later!" And then he was gone.

Chuck looked at Tommy. "Isn't this _his _room? Maybe we should have left."

"That kid gets weirder and weirder every time I see him."

Chuck sat down at Dil's desk. "Do you think he's hiding something?"

Tommy shrugged and stretched out on the bed. "Probably nothing serious…but, speaking of hiding things, are you gonna tell me what you got Angelica, or not?"

"Oh…yeah. But don't tell anyone."

Tommy raised his eyebrows. "Ok."

"I'm serious…like pinky swear."

"Dude…I'm 18 years old."

"….Good point."

"I won't tell, ok?"

"Ok…"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Kimi stared at the phone receiver. She was, as she always was when it came to Dil, totally confused. She thought about calling him back and demanding an explanation, not just for the abrupt goodbye, but for the last several months, but she didn't have the chance.

"Knock. Knock."

"Hey, Lil."

Lil's grin faded. "Why so glum, Lovely?"

Kimi gave her friend a big fake smile. "Not glum, just tired from traveling." She stretched out on her bed. "Good to be home. I actually kinda missed it here."

Lil sat beside her. "Me, too. I had to work, though, so I just got into town yesterday. I haven't even seen Tommy yet."

Kimi smiled. "Aww…you guys make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

Lil tried to suppress a grin but failed miserably. "Yeah, Yeah, whatever." She picked up one of Kimi's colorful graphic design magazines and flipped through it. "So, when are _you _going 

to get someone to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? I never know what you're up to at the Academy these days. Makes me feel bad; we should keep in touch better."

"We're both busy."

"True…but you're avoiding my question."

"I—"

"Kimi." Kira knocked gently on the half closed door. "There's...um…a young gentleman here to see you."

A blond boy wearing extremely large pants walked in, striding cockily. "Yo, Kimi!" he said, much too loudly, considering she was only five feet away at the most. He adjusted his baseball cap.

Kira warily eyed his thick gold chain, complete with a large rhinestone encrusted Jesus head.

Kimi groaned. "Mom…this is Jason. We went to high school together."

He turned toward Kira. "Whaaaaa? You's Kimi's moms? I thought you was her sister, fo sho."

Kira raised her eyebrows behind her glasses. "Right."

He bent to kiss her hand. "Well, the pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Finster." Kira pulled her hand away hastily. "Oh…how…nice….Well, I'll leave you kids alone." She left, obviously trying to decide whether to be amused or worried.

Jason glanced behind him to watch Kira walk down the hallway. "Kimi, your moms is _hot_!"

Kimi sighed. "Jason…what a…surprise. I didn't know you even knew where I lived."

He laughed and sat down on a chair in the corner. "I know, right. In fact, I think you always tried to make sure I didn't find out where you lived!"

"How observant."

"It's ok, Baby. I get it. Playing hard to get. It's what the ladies be doin'."

Kimi rubbed her temples. Lil smiled widely. "Kimi, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"I wouldn't call him my friend."

Jason grinned. "I know, right. We're more than friends." Kimi closed her eyes and groaned. Lil looked like she just won the lottery. "Really? Pray, do tell."

"Yeah, we used to date."

"Uh, no. No, no we did not."

"Ok, ok, but we had that one date."

"No, we didn't! There was never a date."

"You came over to my house and we listened to music."

"No, we _played _music to see how it would affect plants. It was a science project. We had to be partners for Biology, remember?"

"But I made you a romantic dinner."

"Uh, no. You made Easy Mac. And you dropped it all over me."

Lil nearly fell off the bed laughing. Kimi covered her face. "Ohmygosh, how did you find out where I live?"

"Tommy Pickles."

Kimi jerked her head up. Lil really did fall off the bed laughing.

"Yeah, I saw him at the mall yesterday. He said you wanted to see me."

Kimi pushed Lil. "I am going to _kill_ your boyfriend."

Jason adjusted his giant pants. "So, what's up? You wanna hook up?"

"Uh, no." Kimi got up and walked over to him. "You should leave now."

"But, Baby, I totally love you and stuff." He grinned up at her. "Damn, girl. You so fine. I love me some Chinese girls!"

"I'm _Japanese_!"

"Yeah, whateva. Asian chicks in general are _hot_."

She grabbed his arm, and not very gently. She pulled him up to his feet. "Ohmygosh, please. Just go away. Forget where I live. I'm sorry. It's…not you. You're a great guy." Kimi averted her eyes. Damn, it sucked not being a good liar. "It's me. I'm…I'm a lesbian."

He looked at her, with wide eyes. "You…like chicks?"

Lil groped her sides, laughing so hard it hurt.

"Yep...That's me. I'm all about the ladies."

"Oh, no…I'm totally heartbroken, Kim….I can't believe you're a lesbo." But it didn't take long for his despair to be replaced with enthusiasm. "So, yeah, lesbians are totally _hot_!"

She started to drag him down the hallway. "Kimi, since you're gay and all, how bout you hook me up with your moms?"

"She's married, to my dad! Duh."

"Mr. Finster don't know what to do with that! She needs a real man."

She opened the front door and pushed him out. She slammed the door but not before he could get in one more "Your mom's _hot_!"

Kimi made her way back to her room and plopped down on the bed. "Don't say anything." She warned Lil. Lil tried _so _hard, but she couldn't resist.

"Your mom _is _pretty hot."

Lil jumped up before Kimi could hit her. "I gotta go." She said, between laughs. "I'm gonna go see Tommy."

Kimi scowled. "Well, punch him in the stomach for me."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chuck reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small velveteen covered box.

"Oh, come on! You totally copied me!"

"Hey, I didn't know you were getting Lil a ring. And, besides, this one is different."

He opened up the box. The ring was a shiny silver color, with little diamonds arranged in a swirly pattern. The little diamonds surrounded a bigger diamond, which shone brightly.

"Dude…"

Chuck seemed unaware that his best friend was staring at him. "It's nice, huh? It's 14 carat white gold. That diamond in the middle, it's called a Princess Cut. It fits her, huh?" He grinned. "It's only a half a carat, but I think she'll be happy with it…I hope so."

Tommy finally regained brain functioning and began to speak. "Chuck…"

"Hmm?"

"Dude…this is an engagement ring."

"Yeah…it is."

"So…you tend to give those to women when you're going to ask them to marry you."

"Yes…yes, you do."

"So…you're going to ask Angelica to marry you?"

"Ding Ding Ding! I knew that college education was paying off."

"Wow…So…Are you sure?"

Chuck closed the box and tucked it away in his jacket pocket. "Am I sure?"

"Yeah…_are you sure_? I mean…you're only 19 years old."

"Almost 20."

And, plus, it's _Angelica_."

"I know." said Chuck, grinning goofily. "_Angelica_ is going to be my wife."

"If she says yes."

Chuck frowned. "Hey, you're my best friend. You're supposed to be encouraging me."

"Look, I'm just saying, think about it. You don't even live together. Can you imagine what that's gonna be like? _Living_ with Angelica. _All_ the time. _Forever_."

"Hmm…well, after I ask her, we'll move in together, if she wants. I'm sure we'll manage fine."

"And then I'm gonna be out of a roommate! I can't afford rent by myself. So selfish, Chuck."

Chuck rolled his eyes. "Yeah, me wanting to propose to the woman I love. So selfish. I thought you'd be happy for me."

"I just think you should sleep on it…but…if this is what's gonna make you happy…then I say go for it."

Chuck smiled. "Thanks. I'm gonna go for it."

"Hey, guys." Chuck jumped as Lil walked into the room. She stared at him. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Tommy laughed and walked over to his girlfriend. "Nooo." He said, kissing her. "Just boring guy talk. Sports. Cars. Boobs."

"Uh huh." she said, still looking skeptical. He kissed her some more, his fingers in her long hair.

Chuck cleared his throat. "Um, guys. I'm right here." They ignored him.

"Ok. right. officially grossed out. leaving now."


	3. Chapter 2

"Oh, hello, Chuck."

Charlotte didn't pull the cell phone away from her ear but greeted him with a firm handshake. Chuck winced but thought it would be rude, not to mention unmanly, to complain about a woman's handshake. Although, admittedly, Charlotte Pickles was no ordinary woman.

"Hello, Mrs. Pickles."

"Oh, Chuck, you've been dating Angelica for a long time now…what is it, almost two years?"

"A little over a year and a half."

"See? There's no need to call me Mrs. Pickles. You can call me Charlotte…what? No, I wasn't talking to you. You _do _have to call me Mrs. Pickles."

Chuck just stood on the doorstep while this exchange went on. "Oh." said Charlotte, finally noticing that he was waiting to be invited in. She motioned him in and turned her complete attention back to the phone conversation. "No—No, that is _not _what I said. Do you people ever listen? I said…"

Drew looked up from his newspaper. "Ah, Chuck. How are you?"

"Excellent, sir. Thank you."

Drew adjusted his glasses and grinned. "We've been through this. There's no need to call me 'sir' or 'Mr. Pickles'—"

"Ok…Drew."

Drew went back to his newspaper. "Angelica's in her room."

Chuck climbed the stairs, just in awe as he always was when he was here. Not that he was a stranger to cleanliness—his parents' house, although considerably less impressive, was probably ten times cleaner than the Pickles' house. But it was always so quiet here, so different from the house where Chuck had spent his childhood—and very different from Tommy's house. Tommy and Dil's fights had been much worse than Chuck and Kimi's.

As he admired the crisp lines of the Art Deco that adorned the walls, he had the (often recurring) thought that living in this pristine palace, with no brothers or sisters to play with, must have been lonely. Of course, he never said this to Angelica. She wouldn't appreciate the pity.

At the top of the stairs was Angelica's room, perfectly preserved as though she'd never left home for adulthood.

"Hey…"

She was at the desk, tapping away busily on her laptop. Although she didn't look up, she smiled.

"Hey, you."

He warily sat down on the bed, which was covered with all sorts of pink and fluffy things.

"Whatcha up to?"

"Working on my résumé."

"_Angelica_. Again? You just updated it the other day."

"I know, I know. Just a little last minute tweaking before I send it in. I _really _want this internship."

"I know, Babydoll."

If Williams and Clyburn actually accepted me—that would—I—I…"

"_You're _speechless. It must be monumental."

She ignored his sarcasm. "It is—It _would be_—if they did accept me into the program. Williams and Clyburn is the most respected firm—I—my career would be _off_. Unstoppable. Straight through the glass ceiling. Before graduation, even."

"Well…your mother would be very impressed."

Angelica looked at him for the first time. "That's not what this is about, Charles. None of this is about that. I'm doing this for me. _I _want to be successful."

"Ok." he said quietly. She went back to her work.

"Angelica?"

"Hmm?"

"You know that I just want you to be happy, right? Whatever makes you happy…I want you to do it."

She looked at him gratefully. "Thank you." With one more click of the keyboard, her résumé was printing. When it was done, she reviewed it once more, fretting over every detail. Finally satisfied, she ran down the stairs. When she returned, she was smiling (thank goodness) and seemed to be back to her normal self.

"I just faxed it…Oh God, I hope it goes through!"

"_Angelica_..."

"Oh no, what if they take one look and just laugh in my face. Except that I'm not there to hear them. Oh, no! What if they call me up just so they can laugh in my face!"

"You're acting ridiculous, Sweetie."

She laughed as she came to that same realization. She jumped on the bed next to him and pulled him close to her. "Your _face_ is ridiculous, Finster."

"Hey!"

"Nah, I'm just kidding. I'm actually quite fond of your face."

She kissed him. Then she pulled away, grinning wickedly. "Hey, I have an idea." She jumped up and closed and locked the door. When she settled back on the bed next to him, he raised his eyebrows.

"Angelica…"

She kissed him. "Hmm?" she asked, tugging at his shirt.

"You can't be serious. Your parents are right downstairs."

"Duh. That's what makes it _exciting_."

"I don't do exciting. I'm boring."

"No, you're not boring, Carrot Top." She kissed his mouth, his neck. "You weren't boring last week, in the shower. You weren't boring—"she started unbuttoning her shirt—"in the kitchen…"

"Angelica, I don't think this is such a good idea."

"How often do you say that very same thing to me?"

"All the time."

"And doesn't it always turn out to be a _very good_ idea?"

Well, he couldn't argue with that.


	4. Chapter 3

I've always liked Suzie Carmichael. Yes, I know she's not my responsibility. I don't have to look in on her. She has her own guardian angel, of course. Everyone does. There are billions of people in the world and there are billions of us who look out for them. And that's the best for everyone, I think. During her lifetime, I will be Angelica's guardian, and no one else's. But I can't say that I never meddle in the affairs of others, or that I'm never guilty of a bit of favoritism. And, of the people in Angelica's life, Suzie is one of my favorites.

And why not? She's dynamic. She has personality. Even Angelica could never deny that much. I always knew that they would eventually come together. Their relationship has always been strained. But that was never Suzie's fault. She tried to be nice to Angelica, just like Tommy and his friends had tried. But Angelica, as competitive as her mother, couldn't deal with being second best to Suzie, even if it was only at something as trivial as Chutes and Ladders. Of course, as she reached adulthood, Angelica was slowly changing and becoming a different person. And her heart opened up and allowed Suzie a place there. Although, occasionally, that competiveness showed up again, rearing its ugly head.

Like the incident with the pancakes. Now, anyone who knows Angelica knows that she can't cook. Even Chuck. _Especially_ Chuck. Of course, he's never told her this. Smart guy. Suzie, on the other hand, is a great cook. Naturally. And Angelica has always pretended not to notice this. Naturally. Whenever Suzie would whip up some lamb in red wine sauce or duck à l'orange, or even some good old-fashioned fried chicken and collard greens, Angelica would just pick at her plate disdainfully. It would always be "too dry" or "just not very good". And Suzie would just smile and shrug. Angelica's criticisms never ruined Suzie's ability to enjoy her meals. Especially since it was obvious that Angelica always snuck back into the kitchen in the middle of the night to eat the leftovers. Neither she nor Suzie ever acknowledged this.

Suzie really has always been one of the few people who could put up with Angelica. She put up with her rudeness and her competiveness and her inability to express her emotions. And Angelica put up with the fact that Suzie was just better than her at some things.

Until the morning that Suzie offered to make pancakes for everyone. Chuck had stayed over (he'd been doing that a lot) and when he and Angelica crawled out of bed on that lazy Sunday, Suzie was already in the kitchen, cracking eggs into a large mixing bowl.

As soon as she figured out what was going on, Angelica hastily put out her morning cigarette and marched into the kitchen. Making impeccable lamb in red wine sauce for Angelica was one thing, but making pancakes for Chuck was quite another. No one was making pancakes for Angelica'sboyfriend except _her_. The fact that Angelica had never made pancakes from scratch was completely irrelevant. She'd figure it out easily enough.

Suzie just smiled and let Angelica have the kitchen. Snuggling up on the couch with her Chihuahua, Pepper, she opened up the newspaper as a façade but watched from the corner of her eye, wondering if she was a bad person because she was going to enjoy this so much. Chuck stared distractedly at the television, trying to recall where the fire extinguisher was.

Angelica, on the other hand, was (as usual) extremely confident in her abilities. For about two minutes, anyway. Then she realized (or admitted to herself, rather) that, although she excelled at many things, cooking was not one of them. International business protocol would not help her in this situation. But she bravely flashed a smile at her audience and started adding random amounts of milk and sugar into the mixture, which was looking more and more dubious by the second. She told herself what she always told herself. Be calm and be rational, and everything will be just fine. Think. What was the secret ingredient of Grandma Lulu's homemade pancakes? It was some sort of spice, definitely. Nutmeg? That sounded right. Nutmeg 

sounded sweet. Or maybe not…maybe cinnamon? That made sense…Nah, too simple. It was something unexpected. She glanced over at the now grinning Suzie. In her arms was her stupid little dog, Pepper…Pepper? That sounded right. Yeah.

It wasn't right. And, although Suzie and Chuck both cleaned their plates and feigned delight, she knew they were lying. And she was even a little grateful. Of course, even weeks later, Suzie didn't pass up little opportunities to remind Angelica of that day—a cookbook wrapped up in pink paper for Angelica's birthday, a pepper shaker left innocently on her nightstand—little things like that.

So, Suzie had won that battle, but it was just the first of a series of events Chuck called the "Roommate Wars." Yet, despite their differences, Suzie and Angelica always got on pretty well. And I'm glad, because, like I said, I've always liked Suzie. And I've always wanted to see her happy.

Which is why I _may _have interfered a little on that December day. Suzie was at home again, where she felt that she wasn't special. Well, it's not that she felt that she wasn't special at all, but rather that she wasn't any more important than anyone else. At school, in the city, people thought she was special. Her professors liked her for her intelligence. Her classmates liked her for her spunk and personality. And, every Wednesday night, the patrons of _The Cat's Meow_, her favorite bar, liked her for her astounding karaoke skills (No, she wasn't quite 21 at this time, but she always got into bars. Like I said, she has _personality_…and her looks aren't so bad, either). But, at home, she was just another member of the vast Carmichael clan, in which everyone was, as their parents often reminded them, equally special. Her parents were the opposite of Angelica's parents. Despite their busy careers, they had time for Suzie and her siblings. In fact, sometimes Suzie thought they paid a little _too_ much attention to her. She felt 

that if she were encouraged to share her feelings one more time, she'd punch a hole right through her mom's favorite medical dictionary. And, although she took pride in her family's accomplishments, she was tired of hearing about Harvard and perfect dinner parties and award winning screenplays and her mother's faultless Tiffany lamp reproductions. She was even tired of her parents bragging about her. Yes, she had been speaking French fluently since age three. Yes, she had memorized the Dewey Decimal System by the same time. Yes, she was a prodigy. However, so were all the other Carmichaels. So what difference did it make? Only one thing made her feel special, and that was singing. And, although her parents could see that she was genuinely talented, they tried to persuade her to finish college and become a lawyer or a doctor, or something respectable like that. She could always sing on the side.

So, that day, Suzie was feeling very dejected, not to mention very lonely. Not even singing cheered her up. And I couldn't stand it. So I decided to, well, _persuade_ her to do something about it. I sort of…how do I explain this to humans?...put it into her head that she should get up off of her bed and stop feeling sorry for herself. She should go outside. I waited to see if it would work. And it did (I know, I know, I can be a bit manipulative sometimes). She picked up her head, wiped away her tears and got up. I could tell she was a little confused at her sudden inexplicable urge to go outside, but, always ready for an adventure, she did what the voice inside her head told her. And when she got outside, a friendly voice called out to her.

"Suzie! Hey!"

"Phil…Hi."

Phil Deville grinned at her, leaning against the white picket fence Suzie's mother had recently erected (single-handedly, in one afternoon, of course). She squinted her eyes in the late afternoon sunlight. Obviously, Susanna Carmichael is not a stupid woman. As far as humans go, 

she's always been unusually observant. She had to realize that this was _not_ a coincidence. She didn't just happen to walk outside and Phil didn't just happen to be there. So, there was only one explanation. This was meant to be.

You see, Suzie had always secretly liked Phil, despite his weird habits, occasional bouts of immaturity, and less than superb fashion sense. She had entertained his potential as a boyfriend before, but never seriously. Sure, he'd be exactly the kind of man her parents would not like her dating, and that appealed immensely to her. But, he wasn't exactly her _type_. She usually dated classy, sophisticated men, who took her out to fine restaurants and were delighted when she ordered their food in flawless French. They bought her expensive gifts and took her on fancy trips. But, standing there in her parents' front yard, looking at goofy Phil Deville, Suzie realized that these things didn't make her happy. Yes, Phil was weird, but he was kind, and funny and good.

He made his way through the gate and walked up the flagstone path. He handed her a bunch of yellow flowers. "I saw these and I thought of you. I…got the sudden urge to come give them to you."

Suzie took the flowers and smiled. She finally realized why she liked Phil. He made her feel special.


	5. Chapter 4

**Christmas Eve**

"And, if you need anything, just call."

"Ok, Mom."

"If you get hungry, there are cookies on the stove."

"Uh-huh."

"And, please, don't make a mess, I just cleaned."

"Mom!" Dil looked up from his copy of _Paranoia_. "I'm almost 18 years old, ya know. I think I can manage for a coupla hours."

Betty flung her bag over her shoulder. "Deed, they'll be fine. Let's go."

Didi picked up her own purse. "Yes, I suppose you're right. And, Dylan, it might be more than a couple of hours. We're going shopping on Christmas Eve." She eyed Betty. "Not that it was my idea. I finished my shopping ages ago."

"Yeah, yeah, quit your gripin', Deed."

Didi turned to Betty conspiratorially. "Do you think it's a good idea to leave the kids here alone together?" she whispered.

"Mom. Number one, I can hear you. I'm right here. Number two, Kimi and I are just friends."

Didi sighed. "I guess you're right. I just—wish you weren't growing up so fast. I can't believe you're going to graduate soon and leave me here—"

"Mom."

"—all alone."

"Mom."

"This is your last Christmas at home!"

"Mom!"

She dug in her purse for a tissue, obviously on the verge of tears. Betty slapped her back. "If that makes you cry, wait till you see the traffic down at the mall."

Didi sighed. "Yes, I suppose we should be going. Bye, Dil. Kimi."

Kimi, walking in from the kitchen, just waved, since her mouth was full of chocolate chip cookie. As Didi and Betty left, Kimi settled in on the couch next to Dil. She sipped her hot chocolate and then put it down on the coffee table and gazed at the tv absentmindedly. Dil flipped through his magazine tirelessly, pausing only to steal some of Kimi's hot chocolate. He replaced the mug on the coffee table in what was evidently supposed to be a stealthy manner. He glanced in her direction, not noticing that he had spilled chocolate all over the table. She smiled, watching him from the corner of her eye. Dil was a lot of things, but discreet wasn't one of them.

"Dil?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you mean what you said to your mom just then? That we're just friends?"

"I—um…well, aren't we?"

"…I don't know…I'm a little confused, to be honest with you." She turned toward him and took a deep breath. Yes. Now was the time. "The thing is…we've been hanging out and talking on the phone a lot since summer. But I don't really know what we are."

He tugged at his hair uncomfortably. "I dunno—I just really like talking to you…You don't make me feel the way other girls do."

She squinted her eyes in confusion. "What do you mean? How do other girls make you feel?"

"Like a weirdo."

"Oh, _Dil_." She didn't know whether to laugh or to comfort him. "No one thinks you're weird." He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Ok, so, yeah, people think you're weird. But it's _endearing_. And, besides, it's never bothered you before."

He shrugged.

"Everyone thinks you're great…_Especially _me."

He grinned. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course." She sighed and looked down at her lap. "And I don't understand why you don't seem to like me back." She picked at the hole in her jeans, which had apparently suddenly become very interesting.

"Kimi…"

He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her face up. "I'm weird but I'm not an idiot. _Of course _I like you…I just…never thought you'd actually like _me_…I guess it never even crossed my mind."

She smiled. He gave her a goofy grin. "So you do like me?" he asked.

"Well…there's definitely no one else like you. You're one of a kind." Kimi leaned in a bit closer. "An original." she whispered. She ran her black fingernails through his curls and, after months of thinking about it, finally got to kiss Dil Pickles.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Suzie almost choked on her Orange Julius laughing. "Phil! Get down from there. People are staring." His face didn't even twitch. Mall-goers were now gathering outside the department store window, where Phil was locked in an obscene embrace with a female mannequin. A few people were laughing, but some were clearly unsure if he was a real person or not. He was, after all, unnaturally still. Suzie got the feeling this wasn't his first time impersonating a mannequin.

She had expected herself to be embarrassed, but the truth was that this was the most fun she'd had in a long time. She giggled, chewing on her straw. Phil moved for the first time, moving his eyes in her direction and grinning. She waved and smiled, wondering if she should tell him that the very robust store manager was behind him. He suddenly came to this same realization as he was grabbed from behind by the large, angry woman. A few seconds later, he was being hurled out into the crowd. Amid the laughing multitude, a hand reached out and helped him up. Suzie pushed a chunk of messy hair out of his face.

"You're ridiculous, Deville."

"But I made you laugh. That's all that matters."

She tried to suppress her smile. "Want some Orange Julius?"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica smiled as she opened the door. "Hey there, Carrot Top." She pulled Chuck close and kissed him enthusiastically. When she finally let him go, he grinned goofily. She grabbed his wrist. "Well, don't just stand there, silly. Come on in."

He let himself be ushered in but glanced at his watch. "We better get to the mall soon. I bet it's really crowded."

"Don't rush me, Finster. I have something for you." She turned toward the foyer side table and picked up a small box, which was wrapped in maroon paper and adorned with a gold bow and sprig of real holly. He knew that it had been professionally gift wrapped.

"Aw, Goldilocks…I don't have your present ready yet."

He unconsciously slipped a hand in his pocket. The ring was still there. He'd been carrying it with him everywhere, just in case the moment felt right.

"Oh, that's ok. I just wanted to go ahead and give you yours." She clasped her hands together excitedly and grinned. "You're gonna love it. Now open it!"

He smiled and carefully unwrapped it. Inside was a gold watch. He whistled. "Wow, Angelica, this is really…nice."

She smiled. "I knew you'd love it."

And she was in his arms, warm against him. And he wanted to tell her so many things. He wanted to tell her that all the elaborate and expensive things she'd ever gotten him were unnecessary. It's not that he didn't _like_ them. They were very nice things and he appreciated the thought. But they just didn't compare to that first kiss under the old oak tree. Or the sacrifice she had made to get back his mother's necklace. Or this moment right now, her in his arms, smelling like honeysuckle. But Angelica wouldn't understand. She wasn't the sentimentalist he was. So, instead, he just told her that they better get going soon.

She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Whatever you say, Darling."

He laughed. "Why are you in such a good mood? Hey…did you ever hear back from Williams and Clyburn?"

Her smiled faded a bit. "No, not yet."

He pressed a hand to the small of her back and guided her toward the front door. "Weather's nice today. Hot, even. You won't need a jacket." he said, hoping to change the subject. When they reached the front yard, he pulled out his keys.

She giggled. "Why don't we take mine?" She got out her own keys and indicated a brand new red convertible sitting in the garage. Chuck stared. He hadn't even noticed it before.

It's a _2009 Maserati Gran Turismo_!" she squealed.

"Angelica…those cars cost like…over 100,000."

"Oh, so what, it's not like my parents can't afford it. Mummy and Daddy got it for me for Christmas!" She literally jumped up and down in excitement. She ran over to the car and embraced it as if were a person.

"Angelica…"

"What do you think, isn't she beautiful?"

"_She_?"

"Yeah, she's definitely a girl. Too stylish and sexy to be a boy. I haven't decided on a name yet.

But I was thinking of Cynthia…so whaddaya think?"

"It's very…ostentatious."

She gasped and patted the hood gently. "Don't listen to him, Cynthia. He didn't mean it."

"Angelica…I thought you were going to stop being so dependent on your parents. You know…do things for yourself. I thought that was the whole point of working down at the restaurant."

"Oh, well, this is different. It's a present. I'm not gonna stop accepting Christmas presents from my own parents."

"Yeah…well…"

"So, are we taking my car to the mall or not?"

He put away his keys, defeated. "Yeah. Sure. Let's go."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Kimi sighed happily. Dil grinned his silly grin and kissed her again. "Ya know," he said, "I thought this might be awkward. But it's really not."

"No," she agreed, "It's not at all. It's very…nice."

He propped his chin on his hand and gazed at her.

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Staring at you."

"Yeah, I gathered that much. _Why_?"

"Because you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen. And you're sitting here on my couch, kissing me…I'm just not quite sure how this happened."

Before she could respond, he jumped up. "Oh, your present, I forgot." He headed up the stairs. "Be right back." He returned a moment later, humming, and carrying a gift that he'd obviously wrapped himself. He handed the misshapen package to her proudly. Kimi bit back a grin and tugged at the paper (green patterned with tiny spaceships) gingerly. Excessive scotch tape stuck to her fingernail.

"Uh…did you wrap this?"

"Yep."

"It's beautiful."

He practically beamed with pride. She smiled and finished unwrapping it. Inside was…the most beautiful fan she'd ever seen. She opened it up gently and brushed her fingertips over the paper.

"Dil...it's gorgeous."

It was adorned with a design of vibrant red and shimmering gold. Dragons lined one side and the other was decorated with delicate Japanese characters.

"I got it from this cool old guy at the flea market, Mr. Osaka. I always stop at his table to talk to him when I go looking for alien artifacts on Sundays."

She fingered the black ink of the characters. "Do you know what these mean?"

"Yeah…Mr. Osaka made it. He painted those on special for me. It says 'Kimi.' I thought you might like it. You know, it's a symbol of your heritage."

"Well, you were right. I love it."

He shrugged. "Sometimes I get the feeling that people think my gifts are useless and weird."

She folded it back up carefully and put it away. "Useless gifts are the best. And weird is always good."

He smiled and scooted closer to her. "So…" he said, "You wanna make out some more?"

"Uh, _yeah_."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"So, how many stores have we been kicked out of now?" Phil asked.

Suzie held up a finger to indicate that her mouth was full of sweet and sour chicken. "Five." she answered after she'd swallowed.

He laughed. "That was just a rhetorical question. I didn't expect you to know."

"Oh, I've been keeping count." She tore a cream cheese wonton in half. "Do you always act like this at the mall?"

"Only when I'm trying to impress a girl."

"Ha! Well, I got news for you. That only works in middle school." She popped the wonton into her mouth.

"Well, you're still here, aren't you?"

Suzie couldn't even defend herself, as her mouth was full. Phil took a bite out of his burger. After he'd swallowed, he said, "Yeah, well, I think you're enjoying our little date."

"Woah, calm down, Romeo. This is not a _date_. This is last minute Christmas shopping and a greasy food court lunch."

"Well, I paid for your meal."

"Well, I paid for my Orange Julius."

"Look, it's not about money. The point is, you're having a really good time with me."

Suzie smiled and took another bite of rice, as an excuse not to answer.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Have we got everyone yet?"

"Almost." said Angelica, checking her list. She furrowed her brow in concentration and twisted her adorable upturned nose. Chuck smiled and pulled her close. He loved being seen with her in public, especially in their hometown. Men would do a double take and turn around to get another glimpse of her, turning away only when their wives hit them with lumpy purses. They'd pass some store or restaurant, where one of the most popular guys from school was now earning a living, and Chuck would just smile and wave. That little gesture said it all. 'Hey, yeah, it's me. Remember? You used to beat me up. And now you're working at the mall and I'm dating Angelica Pickles. Life's funny, huh?'

But he never told Angelica how much he liked to show her off. She would call him chauvinistic and go off on one of her feminist rants. And maybe it was chauvinistic of him. But, dammit, he was a man. And he could admit that men were only so strong. They're jealous and possessive. And insecure. Maybe even more insecure than women. And, yes, they like to show off their girlfriends. He kissed her cheek. She patted his shoulder distractedly. "Just my Aunt Miriam left. Hmm…Let's head over to Yankee Candle Company. She loves that stuff."

They walked through the crowd hand in hand and Chuck's thoughts were consumed by the little box in his pocket. He'd imagined proposing to Angelica countless times, but these visions were never detailed. It was just her, glowing and happy and saying yes, of course. The background was kind of a blur. He had no idea when or where he should do it. He always planned everything out so he was a little unnerved that he didn't have a plan for something so important. He just hoped that it would come to him eventually.

"Angelica..."

"Hmm?"

"I love you so much."

"I know."

He pretended to look hurt. She rolled her eyes. "And I love you, too. You know that."

"Yeah. Of course I know that. I just like to hear you say it sometimes."

"Ok, you _so _sound like a girl right now."

He really was hurt this time. "I do not sound like a girl. I sound like a person in love."

She wrenched her hand free from his. "Yeah," she said, staring at the colorful Christmas displays as they passed, "We're in love and it's great and all but I just don't see the need to talk about it all the time."

"Angelica…I know you don't like talking about your feelings." She snapped her head back to him. "I know it makes you feel vulnerable." he continued.

She rolled her eyes at him. "_Vulnerable_? No, not at all." He chewed his lip but said nothing. After an agonizing minute of silence, they got to the candle store and pressed through a rambunctious group of elderly women, digging through a bin of small, plastic wrapped candles. Angelica handed all her shopping bags to Chuck, who'd already been holding several. She picked up a bright blue candle. "Mmm…smells like the beach." she said, sniffing daintily.

"Angelica, we should talk about this."

She picked up a pink candle and brought it up to her petite nose. "Talk about what?"

He shifted the bags, hoping she didn't notice he was struggling with them. "About your inability to express what you're really feeling."

She frowned. "Chuck, you make me sound like a robot. I'm not _unable_. That's just not the kind of person I am. And don't act like you're just finding out some big secret about me. You've always known that."

She smelled a green candle. "Mmm. Forest-y."

Angelica set the candle down and picked up a yellow one. "I'm just not all mushy and sentimental like you." she continued.

He switched the bags again. "You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

She sniffed the yellow candle and turned her back toward him. Chuck sighed. Every time he tried to start a conversation about their relationship, all he got in return was defense mechanisms.

"Babydoll…I wish it wasn't like this. We fight so much lately. We should talk about this stuff, rationally, without fighting."

"Oh, come on, we don't fight that much. And, besides, that's what we do. We fight, and then we have really hot make-up sex. It's our thing."

"Well, I—"

"It's mine!" squealed a high-pitched voice.

"Nuh-uh, old lady, I saw it first!" responded a deeper, gravely voice.

"Old lady? I bet we're the same age."

Angelica looked over at the clearance bin, where two old women were literally fighting over a candle, pulling it between them like a tug-of-war rope.

"I just feel like—" said Chuck.

"Give it back, you old hag!"

"—You don't understand how much I care about you—"

"Better a hag than a bitch!"

Angelica laughed. "Holy _shit_. These two old ladies are fighting over this candle."

Chuck stopped his one sided conversation and sighed. Angelica watched the old ladies unabashedly, bright blue eyes wide with curiosity. Chuck struggled with the shopping bags and with the all too familiar squeezing feeling in his stomach. He loved her so much and he knew that she loved him…didn't she? Then again, a normal person didn't brush off an important relationship conversation to watch two old ladies fight. Maybe there was something fundamentally wrong with her. Or him. Or their relationship. Or, most likely, all of the above. Standing there in a candle store, struggling with what seemed like a hundred pounds of Christmas presents, while Angelica ignored him, he suddenly lost his confidence. The vision of Angelica happily accepting his proposal was fading. He'd assumed she'd say yes if he asked her to be his wife but now he wasn't so sure. Maybe he wasn't what she really wanted. After all, they couldn't be more different.

An employee stepped up to the quarrelling women. "Excuse me, ladies. Is there a problem here?"

"I'll say. This _hag_ took the last Lilac tart, when I was clearly reaching for it."

"I got it first. It's mine!"

The clerk looked bewildered. "Ladies, please," she said. "We have plenty of other scents on sale."

"I want Lilac! It's my favorite!"

"It's _my _favorite!"

The woman with the high voice groaned. "Fine, you can _have_ it!" And she threw it as far as she could (which was pretty impressive for an old lady with a walker). It hit Chuck square in the glasses. "Ow!" he yelled, grabbing his face. The bags fell everywhere and so did a table full of candles.

"Out!" shrieked the clerk, her kindly patience wearing thin. "_All_ of you! Out!"


	6. Chapter 5

**Christmas Day**

Phil Deville had never been a serious person. But, for the first time in his life, he was very serious. He was serious about Suzie Carmichael. Ever since he'd gotten that sudden, inexplicable urge to give Suzie flowers, she'd been all he could think about. They'd spent almost every waking moment of the past two days together. But two days wasn't long enough to fall in love with someone, was it? No…but maybe it was long enough to realize that you've been in love with that person for a while.

And, on this surprisingly cold Christmas morning, Phil laid in his bed, where he'd tossed and turned all night, thinking. The truth was, he'd never had much interest in girls before. He'd always thought that they were more trouble than they were worth. Yeah, ok, it would be great to not be a virgin who'd never even been on a real date. Hell, even Chuck had beaten him to that one. But girls…with their emotions and their shopping and their stupid make-up. It all just seemed too high maintenance for him. But maybe this was what growing up was like. Phil had always been a little behind his friends in that category. But he guessed it was finally time. Phil groaned and tried to smother himself with his pillow. He was definitely, without a doubt, violently, desperately, head over heels in love with Suzie Carmichael. And the worst part was that there was no way she'd ever return his affections.

"Merry Christmas, brother dear!" shouted an enthusiastic Lil. She bounded into his room, twirling around playfully.

"Don't you ever knock?" he asked, his voice muffled against the pillow.

"In all the years that we've lived together, have I ever?" She picked up the pillow. "And what are you doin' with the pillow on your face?"

"Trying to end my misery."

Lil grinned, apparently oblivious to his anguish. "But it's Christmas!"

He snatched his pillow from her hands and turned over, covering his face once more. "And statistics show that most suicides happen at Christmas, don't they?"

"Well, this is going to cheer you up!" Lil tugged his curtains open. She slid a fingertip across the cold glass. "Eww! You need to clean once in a while, Twin. This window is gross."

He grunted.

"Phil."

He grunted again.

"_Phillip_! Look!"

He reluctantly lifted his head, squinting as the early morning sunshine pervaded his room.

He stared in disbelief. "Is that…snow?"

"Yes!" She laughed and jumped up and down. "How cool is that? It's snowing! Here!"

Phil got up and walked over to the window. "Hell, that's a lot of snow."

"I know! This is so exciting!" She hugged him. "Yay for snow. Yay for Christmas…Yay for my favorite brother…Phillip, have I ever mentioned how intelligent and attractive you are?"

He pushed his messy hair out of his face. "What do you want?" he asked around a yawn.

"What did Tommy get me for Christmas?"

He shrugged. "Dunno."

"Oh, come on! I know he showed Chuck. I figured he showed you, too."

"Lil, seriously…actually, I don't think I've seen Tommy at all lately."

"Well, now that you mention it, you have been pretty scarce the last coupla days. What have you been up to?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Nothingggg…"

She shrugged. "Oh, well. I think I'd rather not know what he's getting me anyway. Ughh, I won't see him until tonight! It needs to hurry up and get here."

Phil stared out at the snowy landscape. Yes, he had a real problem. He couldn't just go up to Suzie and tell her that he loved her. What would he say? 'Oh hey, Suzie, I know that you're insanely gorgeous and ridiculously talented and a super genius and all, and basically perfect in every way, and that I'm a total dweeb, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm hopelessly in love with you and I was wondering if you might have feelings for me.'

Futile. Hopeless. Not gonna happen.

He turned to look at his sister, who was also staring outside, smiling dreamily. "I'm sure Tommy got you something really nice." he said.

She smiled at him.

"He really loves you…" he continued. "…And you're really happy with him…right?"

She grinned. "I can't even explain it…I know it sounds über cheesy, but I can't put into words how happy he makes me."

"So…you're really glad that he finally got up the nerve to tell you that he loved you?"

"_Of course_…What's up with you? You're acting weird…well, weirder than usual."

"Oh, nothing…"

"Hmm…" Lil didn't seem to believe him but let it go. She grinned. "You wanna play in the snow?"

"…Not right now…there's something I gotta do."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Merry Christmas." said a familiar voice.

Suzie shot up in bed, her cell pressed against her ear. She was a bit surprised to feel her heart racing.

"_Deville_…"

"Sorry to call so early, but I…just couldn't stop thinking about you."

There it went again. That damn pounding heart. All over Phil Deville.

"Oh…really?"

"Look out your window."

Suzie grinned. She hopped up, and, struggling to keep the phone to her ear, pulled a robe on over her pajamas. "Phil, what is this about?"

"You'll see."

She pulled her blinds up and opened up the window. She tightened her robe around her as an unexpected burst of cold wind blew in.

"Oh my goodness…It's snowing!"

"Ha ha, _Yeah_, it is!"

"It's everywhere! I can't believe it. It's beautiful!"

From her second story window, Suzie could see that the whole neighborhood was covered in snow. The rooftops glittered and the ground sparkled as the sun shone brightly. Little kids were already outside, making snowmen and having snowball fights. And more snow was falling. She laughed and stretched out an arm to catch a snowflake. A joy that she hadn't felt since childhood filled her heart.

"Look down." said Phil.

She looked down at her front yard, where, laid out in the thick white blanket of snow with sticks of all sizes were the words 'Suzie, I love you.'

"Phil…"

Then she saw him. He was at the edge of her yard, waving at her. She dropped the phone and ran as fast as she ever remembered running, down the stairs, and through the living room, past her startled parents sipping coffee by the Christmas tree, out the front door and into his arms. He grinned. "Wow. That is not the reaction I expected."

"What reaction did you expect?" she gasped, a little out of breath.

"I thought you'd call the cops. Or tell me to get lost, at the very least."

"No, definitely not…I love you, Phil."

"Really? But you're so... And I'm…just me."

"I happen to like just you. And…you make me feel special." she said, running her fingers through his hair.

"You _are _special. Suzie, you're the most amazing woman. And don't you ever let anyone make you feel otherwise."

She pulled him close by his jacket. "Ok, so how about we stop _talking_ about our feelings and _do _something about them." And she kissed him, to the disgust of a group of children playing nearby.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Angelica?"

Chuck smiled and opened the door all the way. "What are you doing here? It's so early."

She grinned. "I know, but I have some great news! Guess what?"

"Um..."

"Ok, I'll just tell you!" she cut in. "Mr. Williams called me this morning! _Personally_. They love me! They love my résumé! They love my ECA's! They love—"

"ECA's?"

"Extra-curricular activities, duh."

"Oh, of course."

"And they want me to come to this conference! All these important people are going to be there, and they want me there!"

She practically leapt into his arms. "I'm so excited! This is the happiest day of my life. Well, so far. I mean, the happiest day of my life will probably be when I become CEO of my own Fortune 500 corporation."

He returned her embrace, his face buried in her long hair. Honeysuckle and roses (but with the always lingering smell of stale cigarette smoke underneath, of course). "That's great, Babydoll. I'm really happy for you."

She pulled away and smiled. And Chuck just stared at her. God, she was beautiful, standing there in the snow. Both her coat and long scarf were white and her bright eyes sparkled with exuberance, not to mention some kind of glittery make-up. The wind blew, making her long blond hair and snowflakes swirl all around her pretty face. She looked just like an angel. And, at that moment, Chuck knew that he had been wrong for doubting her. He was definitely going to marry Angelica Pickles.

"Um…it's freezing out here." he finally said. "Why don't you come in?"

"Sorry, I can't. I have to go like right now."

"…Go?..."

"Yeah, to the airport…for the conference, helllooo."

"The conference is on Christmas day?"

"No, silly. It doesn't start until tomorrow. But I gotta get there early. Get settled in, go shopping for something nice to wear, get my beauty rest, you know, all that jazz."

"But…it's Christmas."

She wrapped her scarf tighter around her as another gust of wind came through. "I know, I know…but everyone will understand. This is important to me."

"But…we're supposed to spend Christmas with my family…And I have a present for you…This is important to _me_."

She sighed. "Charles, I thought you of all people would understand."

"Well, I don't. I don't understand how you could choose this conference over Christmas with me."

"Oh, you're being ridiculous. It's just one Christmas. We'll have more. It's not really a big deal."

"Except that it _is_ a big deal to me."

"Oh, whatever." she snapped. "I'm not going to let you guilt me into staying. You don't own me. I'm going, and that's that." She crossed her arms and turned her nose up petulantly.

"Fine," he said, crossing his own arms over his chest, "You do that."

She sighed. "Look, I don't have time for this nonsense. I have to go. And my flight might already be delayed because of this stupid snow."

"So…basically what you're saying is…you're choosing your career over me."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I wouldn't put it like that."

"Angelica..."

"Ok, yeah. You know what, I am. Of course I am! I'd choose my career over anything or anyone! You know how important it is to me!"

He looked at her, dumbfounded. "I guess I never realized it was _this_ important to you."

"Yeah…well…you don't know a lot of things about me." she said, rummaging through her purse for her keys.

He gritted his teeth in frustration. "Only because you won't tell me stuff."

"Oh God, do we have to talk about our feelings and _communication_ some more?"

"No, not if you don't want to. We never have to talk about it again."

She finally found the elusive keys and looked up at him. "So, what are you saying? You want to break up?"

He was taken aback that she would suggest such a thing, although he admitted to himself that that was indeed what he was thinking. They might never be on the same wavelength about most things. They never agreed on anything. And their fights could be terrible. But it was just a thought. He didn't want it to actually happen. No matter how different they were, he still loved her more than anything in the world.

"No…I never said that."

"But you thought it."

"I—"

"Well, I think it's a brilliant idea."

He frowned. "You want to break up with me?"

She pulled a cigarette from her purse and tried to light it, using her hand to shield it from the wind and snow. When she finally got it lit, she took a long drag and looked at him. She was shaking, but he couldn't tell if it was from anger, or sadness or just the cold.

"We rarely get along anymore." she said simply.

"…But that's what we do, remember? That's our thing. That's what you said…We can work that stuff out. And, besides, when we do get along, we're great together. We have so much fun. And…I love you."

She took another puff of her cigarette and blew out the smoke slowly.

"I have to go." she finally said.

She turned around and started walking toward her car.

"So, that's it, huh?"

She glanced back at him. "Yeah….that's it."

He stood there long after she'd driven away, not noticing the snow accumulating in his hair or the fact that he couldn't feel his toes. He pulled the ring out of his pocket and just stared at it. And he stared at it until he heard his mom's voice calling him for breakfast. Then, he put it back in his pocket, where it would stay until he decided what to do with it, and made his way inside, closing the door behind him.


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Yes, Angelica still had a long way to go in her journey. And, like all humans, she would make plenty of mistakes along the way. Yet, although most never realize it, it is their flaws, and not their merits, which make people love them. And Angelica would eventually understand that, out of all her mistakes, leaving Chuck that Christmas day was her worst. But, that is another story for another time.

And, yes, the snow _was_ my doing.


End file.
